Tea Time
by Little-Inkstone
Summary: During the holiday season Mr. Gold quickly becomes Belle's favourite customer, and Belle his favourite barista. Written for the Rumbelle Secret Santa exchange. Original Prompt: Hurt/Comfort Coffee Shop AU


It was cold the first day he walked into the little coffee shop Belle was working in. The weather was miserable, and it was sleeting horribly, turning the roads and sidewalks into one large skating rink. Brushing his coat off as best he could, he approached the counter, dour expression firmly in place.

"Welcome to Storybrooke Café." She smiled as brightly as she could. The day after Black Friday wasn't as infamous, but it was just as terrible for rude customers. Working both days had taken its toll on her usually cheerful disposition, and it didn't help that the café was directly attached to the mall, increasing the amount of cranky costumers she had to deal with.

Nodding in greeting, he cleared his throat before speaking. "Do you have a phone I can use? My car won't start."

"Yeah, but you need to, uh, to buy something." Belle replied tentatively.

The man standing before her was dressed well, even if the style of his hair was a little longer than she would have expected from someone in an expensive dress coat. But most of the people who had felt the need to take out their shopping frustration on her had been clean cut, and dressed nicely. Her shift was almost over, and she really didn't want to be yelled at again.

"Fine, fine." He said, waving off her words while he retrieved his wallet. "Tea to go, with cream, three sugars."

"Right, got it." She smiled, giving him his change and pointing out where the phone he could use was, before calling him back. "What kind do you want?"

"Doesn't matter."

Belle nodded again, before selecting an Earl Grey blend, a common flavour that most people didn't mind. While she worked she couldn't help but over hear snippets of the well-dressed man's conversation. Even the obnoxious Christmas music being pumped out through the speakers on repeat wasn't enough to drown out what he was saying.

In a low murmur, he apologized to someone for taking longer than he'd said he'd be. Explaining that his own phone's battery had died, and his car was frozen from the sleet. As he hung-up, Belle guiltily went back to tending his tea, added the cream and sugar he had requested.

"Here you go." She offered, once he was done making a second call for a tow truck.

He smiled slightly, tight lipped and anything but friendly as he walked away, taking, what appeared to be, a thoughtless sip, before he stopped. Taking a more deliberate taste of his drink, he turned back around.

Belle braced herself, wondering what she had done wrong, and hoping he wouldn't irrationally blame her if he didn't like the type of tea she had used, as he approached the counter once more.

"You know," He began. "It's the simple things in life that can make or break a day." Looking down at his cheap carryout cup, the corner of his lips twitched upwards. "This, well, I haven't had a cup of tea quite like this in years." The smile he gave her this time was a little more real, a little more open. And Belle couldn't help but think it made him look rather handsome. "Thank you." He murmured.

"Y−your welcome." Belle replied, slightly startled by his gratitude, feeling her cheeks beginning to heat.

Belle had met and served many different people in the few months she'd been working in the café. But none had sparked her interest like Mr. Gold had, as she had later learned his name was, when he returned two days after their first meeting.

At first he had been quiet, coming in every few days, only speaking to order his tea and offering her the same small smile before he left. But slowly, in-between Mr. Gold ordering, and Belle filling said order, they began to strike up a conversation. At first it was about insignificant, benign, topics, nothing of real importance.

That changed one day, when the café was especially quiet, the weather keeping most of even the craziest shoppers away.

He always made sure to come when it was less busy in the evenings, when there were fewer people milling about, and she was usually left alone to close up. So she wasn't surprised, and definitely not unhappy, to see him an hour before closing time.

"The usual?" She asked, almost playfully, Gold was quickly becoming her favorite repeat costumer; and a highlight during her shift.

"Yes. But to stay." He added quickly.

Belle looked at him for a moment, as she made sure she had heard him right, before she smiled, bobbing her head.

Since there was no one else there, and she had already taken care of cleaning off the few tables that had needed to be wiped down, Belle ended up leaning against the counter, where Gold had chosen to sit. They chatted pleasantly while he sipped from his mug of tea, able to talk about more than just the superficial topics they had covered before in the short amount of time they had interacted.

It soon became the norm for Belle and Gold to spend that last hour of her shift chatting, exchanging quips, and talking about the daily stresses they both went through. They lent each other a sympathetic ear; listening and offering comfort were they could.

But mostly their conversations stayed light. Sometimes, more frequently than either would admit, it would take on a flirtatious tone, as they shared coy glances and secretive smirks.

Like every other day for the past couple of weeks, Gold was sitting at the counter, sharing a tale about the antics of his young teenager, and how he was going to go prematurely grey if his son kept it up.

"Oh, I don't know." Belle countered playfully as she walked forward with his drink. "I think you look quite distinguished with a little grey in your hair."

Whatever he was about to reply with was cut off as Belle tripped, the mug of hot tea spilling over him, the hand he had extended in a futile attempt to catch her taking the worst of it.

"I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" She asked frantically, grabbing a stack of napkins, running around the counter to being dabbing at the mess she had created hoping to save his suit and tie. Inspecting him carefully, she made a distressed noise, looking at the damage her clumsiness had caused.

"Belle, Belle please, I'm fine." He reassured. She didn't hear him, as she kept patting him down, only stopping when he lifted her chin gently. "Its fine, sweetheart, I'm okay." Gold murmured.

"Y−you're sure?" Belle replied, a bit breathlessly.

"Yes."

They stared at each other for a moment longer, Belle watching as his eyes dropped to her mouth, prompting her to lick her lips, feeling herself begin to blush the longer he stared.

Hesitantly she leaned forward, her eyes slipping closed as he met her half way, kissing her softly.


End file.
